The Skinny's Listeners' End of the Year Lists of 2017

Hello, everyone! Mike here. As you may have heard, we originally recorded an episode in which we went over and discussed all of the end-of-the-year lists that you - our listeners - had sent us over the last several weeks. Regrettably, the audio from that recording was un-usable and we were not able to put out that episode which originally was more than two hours long. Because of our busy schedules and limited recording time, we won't be able to re-record that session. 

One thing that we will be doing in the near future is invite back the special guest co-host, Dave, who joined us for that episode. He's a long-time listener of The Skinny and the co-host of another music podcast that Adam and I really enjoy listening to called Ian Hates Music. Please go check out that show if you enjoy what we do but would like a broader reach and a wider range of new music recommendations. We will definitely get Dave back on our show sometime soon, probably for a full album review, sometime soon.

So because of that, and because I don't want to leave those lists just sitting there in our inboxes, I wanted to share those lists along with links to some of the music so that everyone reading this will get to listen to some of these great and interesting album recommendations. 

The main thing that I took away from reading these lists was how divided certain albums were. Albums from artists like PVRIS and Being As An Ocean were ALL over the place in terms of rankings - with some people placing them in their Worst Albums list and others putting them firmly in their Best Albums of the Year. Not only that, but I love how passionate and eloquently our listeners were in explaining their thoughts and their opinions. I think it's great how we are able to clearly state our personal opinions and even how our listeners are able to disagree with us and some of our placements of some of the albums they felt were great, such as Sleeping With Sirens, PVRIS (again), Sufferer, etc.

Without further adieu, please check out what some of our listeners believe are some of the Best and Worst albums of 2017!


Honorable Mentions

Daniel:

Fantastic episode guys. It might be the hardest I’ve ever laughed while listening to your show. A few random thoughts:
 I’m glad you guys like The Smith Street Band and Tigers Jaw, even though you wrongly attributed the recommendations to David.
 Divisi is pretty good but still my least favorite ALLB album.
 I’m not jiving with Mike when he says the new Paramore is mean spirited, so I’ll be interested to hear his reasoning.
 Now for 10 great albums that just barely missed my list:
 Gnarwolves - Outside
 It’s fun straight up punk with thick British accents. Some of my favorite tracks of the year
 Circa Survive - The Amulet
 You guys said it all. Great return to form for Circa.
 Glassjaw - Material Control
 Great return from Glassjaw. It’s basically Deftones mixed with phc.
 Phinehas - Dark Flag
 Great guitar driven metalcore. And unlike MMF it’s Christian without being up it’s own ass.
 Eidola - To Speak To Listen
 It’s Swancore, but I love it.
 David Bazan - Care
 Sad you guys didn’t like this album when I recommended it, but I’m a Bazan fanboy so I’ll love whatever he puts out. Great synth rock imo.
 Captain We’re Sinking - King of No Man
 CWS last album is one of my favorite albums of all time, so this was never gonna live up to the hype. I still love it despite its flaws.
 Pvris - AWKOH, AWNOH
 Fantastic album, Lynn Gunn is quickly becoming one of my favorite female artists. Even better than the debut imo.
 Stavesacre - MCMXCV
 I think Adam might like this one. It’s unashamedly 90s rock. These guys were part of the whole Tooth and Nail Records scene in the 90s-early 2000s. They have that kinda grungy sound mixed with alt rock. I quite enjoyed it.
 Great show guys and can’t wait for you guys to tear apart some albums next week.
 

Brandon:

Hey guys! Thanks so much for showing an interest in your listeners' lists! I will discuss each album here briefly to explain what I like about each one and why. First off, here are the ten albums that I really enjoyed, but weren't top ten material.
  20. Counterparts- You’re Not You Anymore
 Counterparts are a great hardcore band. They blend melody and aggression so seamlessly and this album is no exception.
 19. AFI- AFI (The Blood Album)
 Of course I had to put The Blood Album on my list somewhere. Best AFI work since December Underground in my opinion. All of the songs are well written and I really dig the sort of '80s The Cure, Depeche Mode kind of influences you can hear on this album haha. Plus I still think White Offerings is one of the best songs of 2017.
 18. Glassjaw- Material Control
 I honestly don't have much to say about this one other than I'm just so damn happy Glassjaw is back. One of the bands that shaped modern post-hardcore has finally released a new album after fifteen years. It's honestly not anything different or spectacular, it's just good ol' Glassjaw and that's all I need it to be.
 17. I the Mighty- Where the Mind Wants to Go/Where You Letit Go
 I've been a big fan of I the Mighty for a while now. Honestly, out everything they've ever released, the one-off single, Love Your Sin, is my favorite ITM song. But I really enjoy the more alternative/poppy direction the bulk of this album takes. While I can agree that there are plenty of songs on here that are just okay, the songs I really love such as Pet Names, Chaos in Motion, Symphony of Skin and Where the Mind Wants to Go are enough to project this album to one of the best of the year for me.
 16. Stray From the Path- Only Death is Real
 I know I have had a discussion with you about Stray already. The super angry left wing hardcore thing can be a bit much at times but I love the passion and aggression of this album. I have to respect these dudes for speaking out about what they believe.
 15. Speak the Truth. . . Even if Your Voice Shakes- EveryoneYou Love Will Slip Away From You
 First off I just have to say the new Senses Fail song sounds like it should have been on this album instead haha. But I still love it. And I love this album. Not the most exciting thing I've ever heard but there isn't a single bad song on here.
 14. Story of the Year- Wolves
 I know I literally just heard this Friday but after two listens I knew it was going to be at least in my top twenty. Definitely the best Story of the Year album yet. Some of my favorite songs off of this album are How Can We Go On, I Swear I'm Okay, and Like Ghosts.
 13. Movements- Feel Something
 Movements is a band that took some time to grow on me. I always liked their EP, but it never really stood out to me until I saw them at Warped Tour this year. Something about their performance convinced me of their music, so to speak. Then when this album came out I gave it a few listens and was hooked. The emotion in the vocals and how it fits with the instrumentation are high selling points for me. Not to mention that bass groove on Deep Red is awesome.
 12. Seaway- Vacation
 What can I say? I like pop punk haha. The thing is, Seaway is becoming more of an alternative band, which could arguably just be a division of pop punk, but who knows. The songs, Scatter My Ashes Along the Coast or Don't and 40 Down are both among my favorite songs of the year.
 11. Neck Deep- The Peace and the Panic
 When I first heard the two singles off of this album, Where Do We Go When We Go and Happy Judgement Day, I was expecting this album to be in my top ten, and it was for a short amount of time. Being number one on my list of albums that didn't make the top ten is still good though, right? That's like a participation trophy at least haha. Top songs on this album for me are Where Do We Go When We Go, In Bloom, Heavy Lies and Don't Wait. Unfortunately, the guest spot by Sam Carter from Architects was underwhelming, but still a great song. 

Worst Albums of the Year 

Daniel: 

Great episode guys. Before I give you my worst list, I have to say, fuck you adam 🖕  BAAO released a great album despite its failings. Anyway, my top 10 worsts are:

10 Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark Mike said it, boring af. Nothing else to say. 

9 Enter Shikari - The Spark I loved The Mindsweep, so yeah this one was very disappointing. 

8 Motionless In White - Graveyard Shift Some of the worst songs of the year, but the closer and a couple other tracks keep it from being any farther down the list. 

7 Linkin Park - One More Light I’m not sad that LP went pop, just that they did it so poorly. 

6 Northlane - Mesmer One of my favorite metalcore bands going further into djent mediocrity. 

5 Sorority Noise - Your Not As _ As You Think Boring Emo band that rips off Deja era Brand New and name drops the ‘59 Sound to try and sound important. 

4 Code Orange - Forever Badly produced hardcore album that sounds like a robotic gorilla grunting in my ear for 30 minutes. Do not want. 

3. The Contortionist - Clairvoyant Boring as shit progressive metal album. No variety mixed with lazy songwriting makes for a bad album indeed. 

2. Wear Your Wounds - WYW This is the solo project for the vocalist from Converge, which I like. This album was too long and too boring and didn’t play to any of Jacob Bannon’s strengths. Probably cures insomnia though. 

1 Father John Misty - Pure Comedy This album is the most loathsome thing I’ve listened to all year. It’s 70 minutes of a hipster jackass talking like he’s the first person to ever critique our culture and society, all wrapped up in a wink wink nudge nudge “I’m being ironic” mentality. There is no other album that I just straight up hated this year more than this one.

Dave: 

I present to you.... my 2017 limp-dick albums.
These are albums that just didn’t quite live up to what they should have been to ME. Albums I didnt expect to be good cant be on this list. 

5. Northlane- Mesmer. This album was a surprise drop! However.. it surprised me alright by sounding like total radio rock with cheeseball breakdowns and pussy lyrics. Where is songs like Rot? Node? No no no.. this was an album of pure disappointment besides ONE song (Veridian).

4. Neck Deep- The Peace and The Panic... oh I think they should “panic” alright. This is hot steamy garbage. Fake vocals... his voice isnt that high pitch. Stop faking it. There is 1-2 DECENT songs on this gem of an album. Maybe the previous album was SOO good that it couldnt top that? We will never know...

3. Stolas- self titled. Sooooo... this had every ingredient to be on my top 10 albums of the year. Swancore with a new swing to it... then I painfully listened to this album. From the first listen, I knew it was fucked. There was 1 song worth saving on my phone.. the rest are wayyyy too fucking long and persistently awful. No melody... no hooks... nothing 

2. PVRIS- too long to type... this was sleep medicine. Overrated. Worst live performing band of all time. Yes Lynn is sexy as fuck but.. shes not into me so. Fuck this album. I felt like I was in a Hobby Lobby and they were playing their idea of “heavy” music. 

1. Sworn in- i forgot the album title. HOW IN THE FUCK do you come out swinging with Make It Hurt then make the rest of the album legitimately hurt? Lol wow.. just wow. This is also a shitty live band who do nothing but talk about how to kill oneself. What a bad album.. that teased me to believe it could be worth something amazing.

Best Albums of the Year

Adam from Saskachewan:
Boys, loved the latest podcast about your favourite albums of the year. I wanna throw a couple of mine atcha right quick.  

Sammy Kay’s untitled album. Sounds very early Gaslight Anthem.   Sammy is from Jersey and has toured with TGA before so it makes sense.  

Dave Hause ‘Bury me in Philly”. Big Dave Hause fan, as mentioned before, and the new album just cemented that fact.  

Frank Turner ‘Songbook’. Just released greatest hits album with some great alternate versions of classic Frank songs.  

Couple of great singles too. Red City Radios ‘Rebels’ and Brian Fallon’s ‘Forget me not’ (duh).  

Could carry on all day, but I’ll leave it at that. Stay gold!

Daniel:
Fantastic episode guys. So many great albums and a few that I definitely need to check (Nothing Nowhere, Dayseeker, etc.) Well, here you guys go, my top 10 albums of the year: 

10 Daisyhead - In Case You Missed It
 This album was a shadow drop with zero promotion. Their debut was really good, but this was a huge step up in every way. Great songwriting in a alt rock/emo revival style. Some of the best hooks of the year.
(Best song: Tv Song) 

9 Strawberry Girls - Italian Ghosts
 This is a instrumental math rock band who’s lead guitarist was the second guitarist on DGD’s Happiness. Some of the most enthralling and intricate music of the year. It has a lot of good vocal features, but the instrumental tracks are the best.
(Best track: Black Night, Golden Circus) 

8 Lorde - Melodrama 
 I don’t have a lot to say, this is a nearly perfect pop record with one of the best closers of the year.
(Best track: Perfect Places) 

7 He Is Legend - Few
 This album is the one that surprised me the most. It started out okay, but I kept going back to it and it just kept growing and growing. It’s amazing southern/blues rock. This band just blew me away this year.
(Best Track: Silent Gold) 

6 The Smith Street Band - More Scared Of You...
 Not much to say about this album, it’s so damn fun and well written. Glad you liked it.
(Best Track: Death To The Lads) 

5 Gang Of Youths - Go Farther Into Lightness
 This album was a huge surprise since I had never heard of them before. I have to say that I’m not sure if I’ve heard a more subdued yet emotional album this year. This album is long, so it can be hard to get through at first, but the lyrics dealing with depression and loss (the vocalist’s ex wife died of cancer when he was writing this album). The lyrics hit so hard, but it is ultimately hopeful at the end. I called this band an Australian Gaslight Anthem, and I think it’s definitely a fair comparison.
(Best Track: Achilles/Persevere) 

4 The Menzingers - After The Party
 I cannot add much to what you guys said about it. This still isn’t my favorite album of there’s (OTIP has that distinction), but it is still one of the most fun and energetic albums of the year. Totally see why this would be your guys number 1.
(Best Track: After The Party) 

3 Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile To The Surface
 I fell in love with MO this year, and this is definitely their best album. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are phenomenal. A dam fine album.
(Best Track: The Gold) 

2 Brand New - Science Fiction
What is there even to say about this album. It’s exactly the album for BN to end their career with. I’ve already said my piece about Jesse and the allegations l, and I’m right where Adam is. This album is nearly flawless with some of BN best songs to date. This is definitely the album I’ve listened to the most this year.
(Best Track: 137/In The Water) 

1 Tigers Jaw - Spin
 I labored over my top 3 for a long time, but I had to put Tigers Jaw as my number 1, because it is just flawless. Every song is perfect. This album has the most beautiful music with extremely personal and earnest lyrics. It’s perfect and I just can’t really find words to describe how much I love this album.
(Best Track: All of them, but I’ll say, Favorite) 

Hope You Guys have a great holiday break and can’t wait to see what you guys have coming in January. Peace and love to you guys

Brandon: (Top Eps)
Sorry, totally forgot to add my top ten EPs of the year to that last email haha  

10. Frank Iero and the Patience- Keep the Coffins Coming EP 
EPs are tricky for me, so I added Frank Iero just because I love his music. Despite this EP not having a single original, unreleased song I still enjoyed it a great deal.  

9. Downtown City Radio- Real American EP 
I have been friends with the DCR guys for about a year now, as my band has played shows with them several times. We also happened to have recorded at the same studio within a week of each other back in May haha. These guys are a great pop punk band from Lubbock, Texas.

8. Shine Bright- More Wild Than the Wind EP   
I actually know these guys personally and have played many shows with them. I was proud of my boys for getting signed this year and putting out their first record label release. Shine Bright is a great melodic hardcore band and their EP is fantastic.  

7. Our Last Night- Selective Hearing EP
I love Our Last Night, but this EP was hard for me to get into. At long last it grew on me but at first I only really liked maybe two or three songs. But after several months with it, I've come to love every song on here.  

6. Eat Your Heart Out- Mind Games EP
EYHO is a great female fronted pop punk band from Australia. I heard there first singles from earlier in the year and really liked them but what sold me on this band was their cover on Punk Goes Pop 7. Mind Games is a fantastic EP and the song Conscience is one of my favorites of the year.  

5. Limbs- Sleep EP
Another great post-hardcore band. When these guys got signed, Underoath shared their announcement. Underoath! You know they have to be good to get backing from literally the most important post-hardcore band in history haha. But I genuinely did enjoy this EP.  

4. The Color Morale- Artist Inspiration Series EP
We all know how I feel about TCM. I just happened to love every song on this EP already (minus the Coldplay song) so I was stoked to hear how TCM did on the covers. I do agree with Mike that these are simply on par with the originals, not too different and not any better. But anytime one of my favorite bands covers another one of my favorite bands (Thrice) I can't help but get excited.  

3. The Neighbourhood- Hard EP
I don't know how familiar you guys are with The Neighbourhood but this is one of my new favorite bands. Everything they've put out is fantastic. I love their blend of hip hop elements and alternative. My favorite song on this EP is Roll Call for sure.  

2. Lostboycrow- Traveler: The Second Legend EP
I contemplated just combining both Lostboycrow EPs and calling it one of my favorite albums, but ultimately decided to split up the EPs. Again, not too sure how familiar you are with Lostboycrow but he is slowly becoming one of my favorite artists. A fantastic and unique brand hip hop inspired pop music. I also like to think of LBCs music as hipster hop, if that could be a thing hahaha. But for real I love this EP and Spin the Globe is one of my favorite songs of the year.  

1. Lostboycrow- Traveler: The First Legend EP 
I like The First Legend ever so slightly more than its sequel EP. I just enjoy this EP as a whole more than the second. My favorite song is Devil's in the Backseat and is one of the best songs of the year to me. 

Brandon: (Top Albums)
*Drum roll* I now present to you my top ten albums of 2017  

10. The Gospel Youth- Always Lose
I had never listened to these guys before Warped Tour. I caught the end of their set and was very impressed. When I got back to the hotel that night I looked up The Gospel Youth's music and was blown away by how much alike the recording and their live performance sounded. Vocalist Sam Little has a dynamic and powerful singing voice that carries the same weight both live and on recording. The song "Gin and Black Coffee" is one of my favorites of 2017.  

9. Being as an Ocean- Waiting for Morning to Come
This is an album I have been looking forward to all year and even more so after I saw BAAO with Enter Shikari in March. They played the song Black and Blue before the record had been released, so I was really looking forward to hearing the album version of that song. Now Black and Blue is among my favorite songs this year. I could do without the interludes that follow literally EVERY DAMN SONG haha. But I still love this album.  

8. Like Moths to Flames- Dark Divine
I have never been a big fan of Like Moths to Flames but the first single of this album Nowhere Left to Sink got me curious about how the rest of it would sound. It gave me a little bit of that Capsize brand raw post-hardcore vibe so I really liked it. I was relieved to see that they kept the bouncy, metalcore chugs to a minimum with this album. I enjoyed every song on this album thoroughly. Definitely has some of my favorite songs of the year with the first single as well as Dark Divine and Empty the Same. 

7. Ghost Atlas- All is In Sync, And There’s Nothing Left to Sing About
I know I have already told you guys what I love about this album. The Cove Reber era Saosin-esque vocals. The Circa Survive-meets-Saosin sort of instrumentals. This album is a post-hardcore masterpiece and might make it's way into my top 100 albums of all time soon. Oops. Spoiler alert. haha  

6. The White Noise- AM/PM
What I have always loved about The White Noise is their punk rock aesthetic and hardcore punk meets post-hardcore sound. This is another band I would possibly lump into that modern post-hardcore category with Capsize and even Silverstein. I will admit some of the songs on this album took some time to grow on me *cough cough* the California song *cough cough*. But even that song grew on me tremendously to be honest haha. My favorite tracks are All the Best Songs are Dead, Rated R and Sunspots. 

5. All Time Low- Last Young Renegade
This album was my number one for a few weeks. Needless to say, four more albums came out that I like better. As a fan of All Time Low since the beginning, I was reluctant to give this album a chance at first. "Dirty Laundry" was not the ATL I wanted, but somehow the inevitable ATL I needed. Ironically, Dirty Laundry is one of my favorite songs on the album now and one of my favorite songs of the year. Literally the only song I didn't care for was Ground Control and even that song is good.  

4. Sleeping With Sirens- Gossip
As much as people didn't like this album, I think its fantastic. Probably the best Sirens album aside from Let's Cheers to This. I actually just saw SWS a couple of nights ago in Lubbock, Texas. The new songs sounded great live. The reason I love Gossip so much is the songwriting. Even the weak links on this album like Hole in My Heart, Need to Know and Trouble are still great songs. One Man Army is absolutely my favorite song off of the album and one of the best songs of the year. 

3. Thousand Below- The Love You Let Too Close
Thousand Below is the best thing to happen to post-hardcore since Steven's Untitled Rock Show. Okay maybe they're not THAT phenomenal. But still, I fucking love this band. This is by far the best possible debut album they could have released. I have zero complaints about this album. Every song is great, every song has its place and the emotion and intensity drives this band. So. Damn. Good. Best song on the whole album is No Place Like You. So many feels on this album.  

2. PVRIS- All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell
I mean, I love PVRIS so no matter what I was going to at least like this album. AWKOHAWNOH is number two of the year to me for so many reasons. There is not one single bad song on this album as far as I'm concerned. The songwriting is just as good if not a bit better than White Noise. This album creates a dark an atmospheric essence that drives the entire tone and personality of the music. These are songs that could be played on Alt Nation and in Hot Topics around the world. I don't know how they do it but PVRIS is the kind of band that could be on tour with Thirty Seconds to Mars and Muse, then go right from that tour to an Australian tour with The Amity Affliction and Beartooth. That's wild to me. My favorite songs are No Mercy, What's Wrong and Winter. All some of my favorite songs of the year as well.  

1. Silverstein- Dead Reflection 
From the minute I put this album on, I was hooked. Last Looks might be the greatest opening track of all time. Every song hit with an equal amount of intensity. Every chorus had me singing along. Even the songs I didn't care for as much like Cut and Run and Secret's Safe were absolutely fantastic. From my first listen of Dead Reflection, I knew this was the best album of the year, the best Silverstein album yet, and one of the best albums of all time. Another 2017 album that will be making it's way to my top 100. I could go on and on and on about how much I love this record. I get excited just thinking about it haha. My favorite songs from Dead Reflection are Last Looks, Lost Positives, Ghost, Aquamarine, Mirror Box and The Afterglow. I actually think The Afterglow might be my absolute favorite song of this year.
Thanks for reading guys! 

Dave: (Top Eps)
5. Pushover – Demo
4. Happy Hour – What’s Your Poison
3. Hail the Sun – Secret Wars
2. Eternity Forever – Fantasy EP
1. Kitsune - Uninvited

 Dave: (Top Albums)

13. Vaultry - Eulogy
12. Icarus the Owl – Rearm Circuits
11. Dayseeker – Dreaming Is Sinking /// Waking Is Rising
10. The Menzingers – After the Party
9. Adventurer – Sacred Grove
8. Eidola – To Speak To Listen
7. Sufferer – Self Titled
6. Veil of Maya – False Idol
5. Ghost Atlas – All Is In Sync and There’s Nothing Left To Sing About
4. Silverstein – Dead Reflection
3. A Lot Like Birds – DIVISI
2. Wolf & Bear – Everything Is Going Grey
1. Like Moths To Flames – Dark Devine

Best Songs of the Year

Brandon: 

Oh man talk about feels. It was difficult but this is my top 12 songs of 2017:  

1. Silverstein- The Afterglow  

2. Pale Waves- Television Romance  

3. Too Close to Touch- Leave You Lonely  

4. Like Moths to Flames- Nowhere Left to Sink  

5. Capsize- Cold Shoulder 

6. All Time Low- Dirty Laundry  

7. Ghost Atlas- Cry Wolf  

8. PVRIS- No Mercy  

9. Thousand Below- No Place Like You  

10. Sleeping With Sirens- One Man Army  

11. The White Noise- All the Best Songs Are Dead    

12. Lostboycrow- Devil’s in the Backseat

Daniel: 

Loved the episode guys, so many great songs that just prove that 2017 was a fucking great year for music. As promised, my top 12 songs of the year. 

12 Movements - Under The Gun Even though I thought this album was meh, overall, this song is phenomenal. The pain in the vocals and that amazing chorus just floor me. 

11 Eternity Forever - Fantasy This song is definitely the most fun of the year. I’m a Kurt Travis fanboy, so of course it’s on my list. 

10 The Ongoing Concept - Spirit Lake I’ve loved TOC since their album Handmade, and even though I’m not sure that the new album is better, this is undeniably the best song they’ve ever written. It’s funky, soulful, and heavy. That chorus is one of the most infectious things I’ve heard all year. 

9 Architects - Doomsday Even though it’s just a stand alone single, this song has been a favorite of mine since it came out. You can feel the pain in Sam’s voice. This song was a great send off to Tom. 

8 Stavesacre - Mr Larkspur I’m a sucker for old school Tooth and Nail bands, and Stavesacre have always been a fav of mine. This song has everything I love about them: great alt rock, Mark’s amazing voice, and clever lyrics that don’t necessarily beat you over the head with their religious leaning. 

7 The Menzingers - Black Mass It was hard deciding what song off of ATP was my favorite, but Black Mass was just too perfect to be topped (though the title track was fitting for my favorite track). 

6 Lecrae - Facts This one is an odd one. Lecrae was/is a “christian” hip hop artist that was really popular in the youth group circuit when I was younger. With that album he takes on his critics that got mad at his “I guess I’m too black for evangelical christianity” comments a few years back. The whole album is great imo, but I love this song because it has him proclaiming he hasn’t left the faith, just the twisted political religion that he got his start in. It has some of my favorite lyrics of the year. 

5 Captain We’re Sinking - Hunting Trip Like I said when talking about the album, King of No Man was a disappointment when compared to its predecessor. If every song was as good as this one though, it wouldn’t be. The somber, heart wrenching lyrics about loss, depression, and alcoholism are as good as any the band had written before. I guess great lyrics and music must run in the Barnett family. 

4 Brand New - Desert Of all the great tracks on SF, and boy were there a lot, but this one gets the honors of the best because it’s so different for BN on a lyrical level. The song is so dark and dripping with sarcasm that I can’t help but say it’s perfect. 

3 Phinehas - Break The Earth Phinehas are my favorite metalcore band of all time, so I’m not surprised that a song off their new album to be on my list. This song is my favorite. The great metalcore music mixed with eastern guitars creates a great atmosphere. The lyrics, written from the perspective of a North Korean in some kind of prison camp talking about revolution using biblical references. The whole album is about the Kim dynasty, but this song was just clearly the best. 

2 Tigers Jaw - Favorite  Whole album is flawless, but this one stuck with me the most. I’ve already gushed about my undying love for this album, so I’ll just say that, whenever I’m feeling down, this song/album is definitely my favorite way to dull the pain (I’m horrible I know). 

1 Gang of Youths - Persevere  Like Mike, my #1 song is the one that makes me cry every time I listen to it. The song is about a couple who lost their child and how they deal with it, ultimately deciding that despite the horrible tragedy, they have to, well, persevere. This song has my favorite lyrics of any song this year. It’s just a masterwork of songwriting. 

Hope you guys have a great week and I can’t wait to hear what my fellow listeners have on their lists and your reactions to them. Keep up the good work boys.